California indie metal heroes Chrysalis came back in a big way with “Reminder.” The album is a testament to what can happen right in the hardcore/metal genre. When bands try, and be creative with what they’re doing instead of just being heavy for the sake of being heavy, they can produce quality stuff. That’s what’s going on with Chrysalis on “Reminder.”

Produced by Ulrich Wild, you can really hear the producers influence on the album – particularly how the vocals were recorded. It’s tough to say that Wild is responsible for some of the song structures, because that’s just how the guys write music, but to say he had nothing to do with it would be underselling his value. He did a great job with production here and he took a band that was influenced by acts like the Deftones and made their influences come out even more. It works. The production here is great, but the overall sound of Chrysalis is something that anyone can appreciate. Everything they do comes with a purpose. There’s no screaming just for the sake of screaming, the screaming either goes with an idea being portrayed in the song, or it’s not there at all. They don’t do it just for the sake of doing like a lot of bands do in the genre.

If you’re into harder/edgier stuff, then you should at least sample what Chrysalis has to offer. If you’re not, then even then they might win you over. These guys are damn good at their craft and “Reminder” is a solid reminder of that.

California indie metal heroes Chrysalis came back in a big way with “Reminder.” The album is a testament to what can happen right in the hardcore/metal genre. When bands try, and be creative with what they’re doing instead of just being heavy for the sake of being heavy, they can produce quality stuff. That’s what’s going on with Chrysalis on “Reminder.”

Produced by Ulrich Wild, you can really hear the producers influence on the album – particularly how the vocals were recorded. It’s tough to say that Wild is responsible for some of the song structures, because that’s just how the guys write music, but to say he had nothing to do with it would be underselling his value. He did a great job with production here and he took a band that was influenced by acts like the Deftones and made their influences come out even more. It works. The production here is great, but the overall sound of Chrysalis is something that anyone can appreciate. Everything they do comes with a purpose. There’s no screaming just for the sake of screaming, the screaming either goes with an idea being portrayed in the song, or it’s not there at all. They don’t do it just for the sake of doing like a lot of bands do in the genre.

If you’re into harder/edgier stuff, then you should at least sample what Chrysalis has to offer. If you’re not, then even then they might win you over. These guys are damn good at their craft and “Reminder” is a solid reminder of that.